2 weeks ago

2 weeks ago

2 weeks ago

Around The Blogosphere: January 28, 2011

If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.

Top 25 Games

Indiana 52, #18 Illinois 49: “These kids have been criticized for their lack of mental toughness. Lambasted for sagging energy and effort. Their coach occasionally derided for his substitution patterns and schemes. But on this snowy late January evening, there were no critics. Only a unified 17,000-plus screaming and shouting and cheering from every nook and cranny in one of college basketball’s great stadiums, rooting their team on to a spirited victory. This, my friends, was Indiana Basketball.” (Inside the Hall: Recap and Post-Game Interviews)

#20 Vanderbilt 81, Mississippi State 74: “Mississippi State trailed by three with 21 seconds left, but had the ball on their home court and a chance to prove that the Commodores had yet to figure out their late game woes. One monumental Jeffery Taylor dunk later, it was all over. Taylor stole Brian Bryant’s backcourt pass with just 17 seconds to go and threw down a vicious dunk to seal the win for Vanderbilt, securing Kevin Stallings’s first ever win in Starksville as the ‘Dores avoided Mississippi State’s upset bid. Vandy trailed by as many as eight points with 10 minutes to play, but showed that they could win tough conference games on the road with a gutsy performance at The Hump.” (Anchor of Gold)

Michigan 61, #23 Michigan State 57: “Michigan fell behind 6-0 in the first two minutes and appeared to be headed down the same dark road that we’ve seen far too often over the past 13 years. But Michigan didn’t fold, instead battling their way back to a 20-16 lead with 10:28 to play. I was relieved that they were still in the game at the time and would have never guessed that Michigan would hold onto the lead for the final 30 minutes of the game. Michigan State took its best shot, eventually cutting the lead to two points with less than a minute remaining, but Michigan had just enough answers to escape East Lansing with a victory.” (UM Hoops:Recap and Video Clips of Tom Izzo, Tim Hardaway Jr., Zach Novak and Darius Morris, and John Beilein)

#23 St. Mary’s 73, Gonzaga 71: “The roller coaster ride that is Gonzaga basketball 2010-11 continued this evening as the Bulldogs fell to the Gaels by a count of 73-71. Personally, I’m at an interesting place right now in as much as that I think Gonzaga played about as good a game as this team is capable of tonight. Were there turnovers? Sure, Steven’s five and Elias’ three were brutal but, and I hate saying this, that is simply what this team is this season. It is an inconsistent bunch that some twenty-odd games is still grasping at straws to figure everything out.” (The Slipper Still Fits)

Other Games of Interest

Maryland 66, Virginia 42: “Adrian Bowie scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half, Virginia shot just 33% from the floor, and the Maryland Terrapins defeated the Cavaliers 66-42. The Terps evened their ACC record at 3-3 and raised their record overall to 13-7. The margin was Maryland’s largest ever at Virginia, and is notable for an ACC road game against any opponent not named Wake Forest.” (Testudo Times)

Arizona 85, UCLA 74: “The duel in the desert was to be a matchup for sole possession of second place in the conference. Unfortunately Reeves Nelson was the only one who showed any interest in it. The rest of the team was a collective no show on both ends of the floor. The only thing that keeps me from including Nelson in that defensive failure category for his and Anthony Stover’s showing against Derrick Williams is that there honestly isn’t much anyone is going to do against Williams when he’s on. He’s projected to be a lottery pick for a reason. Nevertheless the sloppy play (11 first half turnovers, 18 overall) and shoddy defense throughout the game is simply a sickening display for a team with so much to play for, and Arizona predictably pounded the Bruins 85-74.” (Bruins Nation)

News/Analysis

Georgia Is More Balanced With The Addition Of Robinson: “A couple of weeks ago, the Kentucky Wildcats headed down to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs, and they found themselves facing a tough, physical team that had plugged a few holes from last year. The biggest hole they filled was with the addition of Gerald Robinson Jr., a transfer from the Tennessee St. Tigers who has made an immediate impact for the Dawgs.” (A Sea of Blue)

Conference Differentials through 1/27/11: Taking a look at some advanced statistics from the Big East through yesterday’s games. (Villanova by the Numbers)